The Name of the Wind Thread

[Kat]

I just finished this book yesterday. I enjoyed it, mainly due to the narrative. However, Kvothe reminds me of a much wittier cross between my child prodigy ex-boyfriend and this girl I wasn't particularly fond of in college. They both had....hmm....academic entitlement complexes?

SPOILER: The Name of the Wind

The romance between Kvothe and Denna reminded me a bit of the interaction between Fitz and Molly in Farseer. I like how Rothfuss is at least setting up Kvothe to be somewhat incompetent with girls, but the impression I got of him at times was that he had "nice guy" syndrome. For instance, when he saw Ambrose and the other girl who worked at the Archives desk, I got the impression that he wanted to be the total knight in shining armor type against Sexual Harrassment at Work, and if there's anything that annoys me more than sexual harrassment, it's guys who want to save you from such a thing. Maybe that's just a personal bias, but it's something that made me dislike Kvothe's character.

And yeah, Denna's a bit annoying. I can see why the other women don't like her.

Aside from that, though, I kind of liked having a first-person narrative from someone I didn't entirely like.

Jaxom is right; it is reminiscent of Harry Potter at times, and I think that's one thing that's putting me off about Kvothe; I'm not the biggest fan of Harry's character and this is like reading a book narrated by him.

SPOILER: TNotW

On the other hand, having a first-person narrative gives an excuse for why Ambrose seems one-sided. We're seeing him as Kvothe sees him, not as a whole character. If you just take into account that this is a biased narrator, the fact that many of the other characters seem black-and-white makes sense.

[Myshkin]

SPOILER: TNotW

On the other hand, having a first-person narrative gives an excuse for why Ambrose seems one-sided. We're seeing him as Kvothe sees him, not as a whole character. If you just take into account that this is a biased narrator, the fact that many of the other characters seem black-and-white makes sense.

I think this is intentional: Bast touches on the subject when he tells Kvothe that every girl in his story seems to be beautiful.

[Jaxom 1974]

Jaxom is right; it is reminiscent of Harry Potter at times, and I think that's one thing that's putting me off about Kvothe; I'm not the biggest fan of Harry's character and this is like reading a book narrated by him.

For the record though, I've never actually read Harry Potter beyond the dust jackets. Though Mrs. Jax has made me watch a couple of the movies. I caught onto the similar feelings from those.

[Kat]

For the record though, I've never actually read Harry Potter beyond the dust jackets. Though Mrs. Jax has made me watch a couple of the movies. I caught onto the similar feelings from those.

Ok, well, the similarities are there, but maybe it's just something that happens in books about schools. Now that I think about it, I also had a small group of close friends, had some teachers that liked me, some teachers that didn't like me, and a slight problem with authority, so if I turned my school experience into a book, it could be compared to Harry Potter too.

SPOILER: TNotW

I really thought he was going to predictably become a student of Master Elodin, so when he jumped off the roof for him, I found that scene pretty funny, possibly the best one in the book.

[Jora]

SPOILER: TNotW

I really thought he was going to predictably become a student of Master Elodin, so when he jumped off the roof for him, I found that scene pretty funny, possibly the best one in the book.

It was a great scene.

SPOILER: TNotW

"That was the stupidest thing I have ever seen.

Ever".

I liked the book. It's difficult to say if I liked it more than The Lies of Locke Lamora or Abercrombie's The First Law books because they share so many similar traits. They're all easy to read fast-paced and humorous adventures with witty main characters. Each has its own pros and cons, so it's hard to put them in any particular order. I just wish some new debut novelist would start doing what Bakker has been doing: writing darker, heavier and more complex fantasy. Winterbirth is some kind of a step in that direction, but in many ways it's too similar to Lynch, Abercrombie, Rothfuss and Keyes.

[Kat]

I liked the book. It's difficult to say if I liked it more than The Lies of Locke Lamora or Abercrombie's The First Law books because they share so many similar traits. They're all easy to read fast-paced and humorous adventures with witty main characters. Each has its own pros and cons, so it's hard to put them in any particular order. I just wish some new debut novelist would start doing what Bakker has been doing: writing darker, heavier and more complex fantasy. Winterbirth is some kind of a step in that direction, but in many ways it's too similar to Lynch, Abercrombie, Rothfuss and Keyes.

Well, I haven't read Abercrombie yet--I'm too cheap to order from other countries at the moment--but if it's anything like the lighter, more humorous approach that Lynch and Rothfuss took, sign me up. I'm extremely glad I read this book simply because 2006 was my year of depressing reading, and I'm finding that I prefer a little humor in my fantasy. I guess the genre should aim to please both sets of readers--those who like dark novels and those who don't, but I certainly wouldn't like it if every book I read were as heavy as Bakker's.

[Jaxom 1974]

SPOILER: TNotW

I really thought he was going to predictably become a student of Master Elodin, so when he jumped off the roof for him, I found that scene pretty funny, possibly the best one in the book.

SPOILER: TNotW

What I liked about that scene was that when I thought this was when he got tohave his mentor, he didn't. Now, it turned out that way eventually, but that was one of those streotypical conventions I thought Rothfuss tweaked nicely.

[beniowa]

Kat, parts of Abercrombie's First Law are fairly funny, mainly due to the character, Glotka, who is a real smartass.

[Jora]

Well, I haven't read Abercrombie yet--I'm too cheap to order from other countries at the moment--but if it's anything like the lighter, more humorous approach that Lynch and Rothfuss took, sign me up. I'm extremely glad I read this book simply because 2006 was my year of depressing reading, and I'm finding that I prefer a little humor in my fantasy.

You should definitely read his books then.

I guess the genre should aim to please both sets of readers--those who like dark novels and those who don't, but I certainly wouldn't like it if every book I read were as heavy as Bakker's.

Neither would I. It's just that so many new books seem to be humorous, witty, sarcastic, and ironic that I wouldn't mind if someone were to release something different for a change. One thing I noticed about Prince of Nothing is that there is absolutely no humor and the aurthor didn't feel the need to add witty banter.

[Jaxom 1974]

Well, I haven't read Abercrombie yet--I'm too cheap to order from other countries at the moment--but if it's anything like the lighter, more humorous approach that Lynch and Rothfuss took, sign me up. I'm extremely glad I read this book simply because 2006 was my year of depressing reading, and I'm finding that I prefer a little humor in my fantasy. I guess the genre should aim to please both sets of readers--those who like dark novels and those who don't, but I certainly wouldn't like it if every book I read were as heavy as Bakker's.

I, too, have been too cheap to order from order overseas, but this one is on my list, right near the top.

[pat5150]

Guys,

How many times will I have to repeat this! You can order most Gollancz titles from amazon.ca, saving you the overseas shipping charges. So get yourself some Abercrombie ASAP!

Patrick

P. S. Better yet, order via a link from my blog so I can make a few pennies off your order!

[Peregrinus]

Apologies if this has been mentioned before, Im part way through the book and haven't read upthread for fear of opening myself up to spoilers.

SPOILER: University time

Kvothe is at the university deciding on which master to suck up to he goes and finds Elodin, The Master Namer. Kvothe, after toally missconstruing Elodins attempts to get him too bugger off concludes his denseness by jumping off a twenty foot balcony when asked to do so. Idiot!

The next chapetr opens with him explaining that this was the point he decided to take up artificing instead with some other master.

That has to have been one of the funniest things I've ever read. So far I'm loving the book.

[Kat]

Guys,

How many times will I have to repeat this! You can order most Gollancz titles from amazon.ca, saving you the overseas shipping charges. So get yourself some Abercrombie ASAP!

Patrick

P. S. Better yet, order via a link from my blog so I can make a few pennies off your order!

I know Pat. It's the fact that I'm short on money and shipping to the US from Canada is still more expensive than shipping within the US. Canada is such a great country, though. Or, more importantly, the exchange rate is not cruel. I'll order from your blog, though. Will need my Erikson fix soon enough, anyway, so I can combine into one order.

And yeah, Peregrinus, that scene rocked.

[Myshkin]

I know Pat. It's the fact that I'm short on money and shipping to the US from Canada is still more expensive than shipping within the US. Canada is such a great country, though. Or, more importantly, the exchange rate is not cruel. I'll order from your blog, though. Will need my Erikson fix soon enough, anyway, so I can combine into one order.

And yeah, Peregrinus, that scene rocked.

The Book Depository offers free shipping worldwide. I order all my books not available in the US from them.

[Werthead]

My review copy arrived today from Gollancz, some 5 months ahead of UK publication

[Jaxom 1974]

My review copy arrived today from Gollancz, some 5 months ahead of UK publication

Of the current book or the next one?

[Werthead]

Of Name of the Wind.

[konstantine]

Just ordered this book from Amazon based on this thread! I'll read it after Winterbirth

[Peregrinus]

I got my US copy from Forbidden Planet London. I didn't even realise, until Werthead mentioned it upthread, that I am really early getting the book in the UK. they even knocked down the price to under £12. I'm going to try and stop feeling all smug and gloatful now, its not very becoming.

SPOILER: My thoughts

I was happy with the book and pretty satisfied by the end. I didn't however start out that way. I was desperately anxious for the story to begin, the entire preamble with Kote and Chronicler annoyed me when I first started the book. My irritation faded once the telling began and I grew to like the interludes that interspersed the story, those couldnt have happened without that preamle I guess. My problem arised from that fascinating prelude about silence and reading the dust jacket in which we have an extract of Kvothe reciting his names. That made me want to leap ahead and find out how he earned those names as fast as possible. Reason prevailed, I didn't leap ahead, I took it slow and got engrossed by the story. Now, at the end of the first book we still dont have true answers but Im more than willing to watch Kvothe grow into those names.

Elodin saying that was one of the stupidest things he'd seen. Ever. That was hilarious and convinved me that I loved the book. Probably amongst the funniest lines I've read.

Questions:

Who are the Amyr and the sithen and the singers that Halifax mentions?

Is Denna's would be patron an Amyr, was he training Denna to be one?

Just who is Denna, whats her big secret?

How does the master Archivist (Lorren?) know Kvothe's father?

Was Abenthy a pupil of Elodin, or vice versa? I got the impression there werent many know knew the name of the wind, Abenthy seemed to know it.

How did Kvothe loose his control of Sympathy whose Alar was as strong as a bar of Ramson steel?

Correct me if im wrong butisnt there more ways of forming Sympathy, Im fairly sure in the beginning the Abenthy said the alar was only one way. Will Exla teach Kvothe the other methods?

What motivates Bast? He obviously loves Kvothe but what does he want him to do?

All that is going to guarrantee Ill shell out for the next book form wherever its published first.

[Werthead]

After about 200 pages I was sharpening my, "Best Opener to a Fantasy Series Since A Game of Thrones" statement for this book (previously awarded to Lynch, then Bakker), but the somewhat slow pace of events is starting to get a little bit more grating now and an air of Harry Potter is indeed entering proceedings (I'm about 400 pages in), although Rothfuss is a vastly superior prose-writer to Rowling. I can also see why people may think that Kvothe is a bit of a Kellhus, as everything he puts his mind to he achieves with no problems:

SPOILER: TNOTW

Although Kvothe does go through the wringer a lot more, such as being once being raped during his three years in the capital city, although Rothfuss' fairly subtle alusion to this was quite well handled.

Also:

SPOILER: TNOTW

the bit where Kvothe suddenly mentions that everything that's happened to him sounds like the plot of a fantasy story and invites Chronicler and Bast to guess what's going to happen next is a bit too post-modern, and took me right out of the book.

Despite all of that and despite the book's relaxed feeling, it's still tremendously well-written - Rothfuss has a confidence rare in a first-time novelist - and compelling stuff.